Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.). Mars Observer Project Office.

After a 17 year gap since the last mission to Mars, NASA launched JPL's Mars Observer on September 25, 1992. The Spacecraft was based on a commercial Earth-orbiting communications satellite that had been converted into an orbiter for Mars.

Mars Observer's mission was to study the surface, atmosphere, interior and magnetic field of Mars from the Martian orbit. The mission was designed to operate for one full Martian year (687 Earth days) to permit observations of the planet through its four seasons.

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